County / In Brief

January 4, 2013

A 38-year-old Haiku woman was arrested Wednesday after her husband was hospitalized following an attack with a carpenter's hammer in their home, police said.

Bail was set at $3,000 for Jennifer Berberian. She was charged with second-degree assault, abuse and violating a 24-hour warning citation.

Police said Berberian attacked her 40-year-old husband, striking him multiple times with the hammer at 4:18 a.m. He tried to take away the hammer and the two struggled, with him punching her while trying to stop her, police said.

He lost consciousness after being struck, suffering a scalp laceration and hematoma to the left side of his head as well as bruising to his lower back and abrasions and scratches to his left ear, police said.

Both Berberian and her husband were taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center. She had left the hospital at 9:27 a.m. before being officially discharged, and an all-points bulletin was issued for her arrest. She was arrested at 12:53 p.m. at a residence in Haiku.

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Abuse, threatening suspect in custody

A 44-year-old man was being held in lieu of $106,000 bail after he was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Kahakuloa Village for threatening neighbors with a machete and twice abusing a woman last year, police said.

Carl Hano was charged with first-degree terroristic threatening, felony abuse and abuse for three incidents. He also was arrested on warrants for contempt of court and failure to appear.

The threatening charge was for an April 21 incident when Hano threatened neighbors in Kahakuloa Village with a machete at about 6:30 p.m., police said.

On July 21 at about 5 p.m., he punched the woman in the face at a Kapalua residence, causing pain to her right jaw, and threw beer bottles at her left arm, also causing pain, police said.

On Aug. 30 at about 4 p.m., Hano and the woman were at a friend's house in Napili when he began using profanities at her, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her around the living room, police said.

Hano punched the woman about four times and strangled her, impeding her breathing before releasing her and fleeing, police said. The woman was treated by medics for pain to her neck, scratches to her right cheek and swelling to her right forehead.

In all three cases, all-points bulletins were issued for Hano after he fled before police arrived.

Police arrested him at 4:34 p.m. Wednesday.

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Hiker is rescued after becoming lost

A 57-year-old Kahului man who reported being lost while hiking the Lahaina Pali Trail was flown to safety Wednesday after being located by a fire rescue crew aboard the Air One helicopter.

Firefighters were dispatched at 12:40 p.m., with the Kahului rescue crew, helicopter and battalion chief responding. When firefighters made contact with the hiker by cellphone, he said he was near a waterfall bed and couldn't get back on the trail, said Fire Services Chief Lee Mainaga.

During an aerial search, rescue firefighters located the hiker two miles mauka on the side of a cliff at the 1,500-foot elevation at Kaonohua Gulch, Mainaga said. He said the hiker was airlifted to a landing zone set up in the parking area at North Kihei Road and Honoapiilani Highway.

The hiker said he had been on the trail for the last four days and ran out of water after the third day. He refused medical attention and was picked up by friends waiting at the landing zone, Mainaga said.

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High-wind watch posted for summit

A high-wind watch has been posted for the summit area of Haleakala today through Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

High pressure building north of the state will cause an increase in trade winds. The watch covers the mountain 6,000 feet and higher.

Winds from the east will be 40 to 50 mph, with localized gusts of more than 65 mph.

The high winds can result in property damage and cause power outages. Drivers of high-profile vehicles are urged to exercise caution.